Divide. Express your answer as a decimal. $34 \div 4 =$
Solution: There are many ways to solve this problem. Let's see two possible solutions. Place value strategy Let's think in terms of tenths: $\begin{aligned} &\phantom{=}34 \div 4&\\\\ &=34.0 \div 4\\\\ &= 340\text{ tenths}\div 4\\\\ &= 85\text{ tenths}\\\\ &= 8.5 \end{aligned}$ Fraction strategy Let's convert the division problem to a fraction with a denominator of $100$. $\begin{aligned} 34 \div 4&= \dfrac{34}{4}&\gray{\text{Rewrite the division problem as a fraction}}\\\\ &= \dfrac{34 \times 25}{4 \times 25}&\gray{\text{Multiply the top and bottom by 25}}\\\\ &=\dfrac{850}{100}&\\\\ &= 8.5& \end{aligned}$ The answer $34 \div 4 = 8.5$